Esteban Fuertes

Esteban Óscar Fuertes (born 26 December 1972) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Club career In July 1999, Fuertes was purchased for £2.3 million by Jim Smith, manager of Derby County in England. He scored two early goals, including the winner against Everton in the league. and another against Swansea City in the League Cup. However, weeks later, he was refused entry back into Britain when immigration officials discovered that his Italian passport was forged. Derby were able to sell him on to Lens in France for £2.8 million.

Fuertes retired from professional football on 25 June 2012 in a match against Banfield, scoring two goals. A year following his retirement, Fuertes signed a six-month contract for Bolivian side Sport Boys which had been recently promoted to the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano. He officially retired on 6 December 2013 after eleven appearances and three goals scored for the club.

International career On 20 May 2009, Fuertes made his international debut in a friendly match against Panama aged 36, making him the oldest player ever to make his debut for the Argentina national team. The Argentina team made up of players based in the Primera División Argentina won the game 3–1.

Coaching career Fuertes coached and Colón in his homeland.

In 2018, Fuertes coached Chilean club Fernández Vial in the Segunda División Profesional.